The containment field on the Iron Man Ablation Suit
I wrote an entire blog on the special abilities of Iron Man’s Ablation Suit, but there’s one specific aspect of it that’s not quite clear: the biocontainment field. Specifically, is it part of the armor or not? Other sites seem to think so, but on closer inspection it’s not necessarily a given. Here’s why the containment field on the Ablative Armor may—or might not be—native to the suit.
The containment field shows up on the second page of Iron Man issue #417 (vol. 3 #72), the third issue of this three-issue arc. Tony has just rescued Mo Stanton, a person infected with an alien nanoplasm. He puts up the purple containment field around Mo to ensure that he doesn’t infect anyone else. Here’s what it looks like in action.
It’s odd, because the containment field shows up between the first-page splash panel and the first panel of the second page. Tony doesn’t mention it, and he doesn’t activate it. It just appears.
One could argue that Tony’s “stay away” gesture could be his arm reaching out after he’s just thrown the containment field device. But it takes 10 pages until the actual projection unit shows up, looking like an oversized flip phone.
Detail from Iron Man #417, page 10 panel 2
To make things even more complicated, the following panel seems to indicate that the circles on the back of the Model 23 Ablation Suit’s gauntlet reveal some sort of remote control that disables the containment field.
So now that we have all of that information out of the way, the question still remains: Is this a detachable part of the Ablative Armor? Or is it an extra piece of equipment that Tony brought along for this mission? Let’s take a look at the evidence.
Theory 1: It’s native to the Model 23 Ablation Suit
The Ablation Armor was designed to investigate passing heavenly bodies, such as comets and meteors. While we might not find life on these passing rocks, when you live in a comic book universe the chances of finding life on such a body is approximately 100-percent. Having a containment field generator along to gather samples and ensure public safety just makes sense.
If there’s one thing Axol does well, it’s change; it’s an expert at adding/replacing parts. The containment field generator is just another part of the armor that’s well-hidden.
The smart forcefield that levitates tiles could throw the containment field generator to put Mo in quarantine.
The polymer tiles of the suit could move aside to hide the containment field generator’s special storage space.
The buttons on the back of the gauntlet control the containment field, so it makes sense that the two would be naturally synced.
The armor is never shown carrying this device, either directly attached or by using the armor’s smart forcefield.
Theory 2: It’s a separate component altogether
Before Tony goes off on the mission to destroy the nanoplasm, he calls in Stark scientists and a mobile pop-up lab. In fact, a scientist studies dead nanoplasm while it floats in a forcefield created by purple lights. It only makes sense that the lab would also carry mobile tech that can keep biological/nanological specimens contained.
Tony says he has to do “a bit of tinkering” while he’s at the lab. While he was most likely talking about re-coding the tiles to kill the nanoplasm, it’s also possible that he needed to “tinker” with a portable containment field to stop live specimens from escaping.
In response to point 3 above, the field generator couldn’t be thrown by the forcefield because Tony isn’t wearing the helmet when it happens.
Much like point 4 above, the tiles could move aside to show hidden compartments underneath. Such compartments would be needed to store samples from outer space. One of these compartments could house auxiliary equipment like the containment field generator; this doesn’t mean it’s necessarily native to the suit.
In response to point 5 above, the controls on the back of his hand don’t necessarily mean that the armor and the containment field unit are part of the same system. The controls Tony uses could simply be a “universal remote” that can accommodate any Stark-tech. His controls could be configured to control most any technology, from televisions to WiFi-enabled thermostats.
Final Verdict
I’m sorry, but I don’t have one. It’s a hung jury.
On the “native to the armor” side, point 1 is incredibly convincing in a comic book universe. On the “completely separate piece” side, the first point gives Tony an excellent opportunity to pick up additional tech that he might not otherwise have. (If not for the page with the mobile lab, I would certainly lean toward the “native to the armor” side.) As it stands, I can’t say that any site is wrong when they claim Iron Man’s Ablation Suit has a biocontainment field generator.
My blog about why I believe the Ablative Armor is designed as it is shows that Robert Teranishi put a lot of thought into how it works. Even if he wasn’t impossible to get ahold of (which he is), he might not remember an armor he designed 17 years ago. For now—and maybe always—the containment field remains a mystery.
